In a perfect world, military families would be able to freely express their military pride. These families make sacrifices every day to protect and serve our country, and deserve to be recognized for their strength, courage, and resilience. However, today, self-identifying as a member of the military community can be dangerous, so it’s important for all of us to learn how to protect ourselves against those who seek to harm our families, friends, and community.

We asked our MFAN advisors to provide input on how military families can make smart decisions on social media, at home, and in every day life to protect our families and friends. Take a look below at the advice we gathered, and comment on this blog post with any tips we might have overlooked:

On Social Media

Social media is a convenient and fun way to stay in touch with family and friends, especially when your loved one is deployed. Because information shared on social media is so easily accessible, it’s important to maintain privacy and limit what you share with only those who you know and trust.

To ensure you’re staying safe on social, check your privacy settings. Read our blog post here for an overview on how to update your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn privacy settings.

You should also follow these basic social media rules below to stay safe on social:

  • Don’t share information about your spouse or family member’s deployment dates (departure or return) or location.
  • Don’t share photos of your spouse or family member in uniform. Military uniforms reveal more detailed information about your servicemember’s career than you might think.
  • Be cautious when posting in Facebook groups. While many groups are kept private, it’s important to post cautiously as they are still susceptible to online predators, especially if the group moderator isn’t cautious about who is allowed to join.
  • Exercise caution when accepting friend requests. Scan the person’s profile and check if you have any mutual friends before accepting. If you aren’t sure how you know the person, send them a message and ask. When in doubt, don’t accept. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

We recommend printing out these rules and taping them to your computer at home to remind everyone in your family to think before sharing.

At Home

Family makes a house a home and it’s important to protect the ones you love from any outside threats. If your spouse is deployed, you’re a single parent living alone, or are just looking to strengthen your home security; we’ve got a few tips for you:

  • Get a professional security assessment. Ask your local police department if they offer a free home security assessment. A home assessment can show you areas in your home where security may be lacking.
  • Light up your house. Passers-by will assume someone is home when they see lights on inside. Motion-activated lights are a great option for both indoor and outdoor spaces.
  • Join your neighborhood watch. Find out if your area has a neighborhood watch system. Neighborhood watch is a great way to meet your neighbors and set up a buddy system.


Out and About

Common sense and trusting your instincts is often your best defense when you’re in public. There are extra measures members of the military community should take when out and about, too:

  • Ditch the bumper stickers. That stick figure family or branch specific bumper sticker gives strangers personal information about you and your family and may bring unwanted attention.
  • Attend a military spouse-training seminar. Check with your local MWR or park district to see if they offer safety-training seminars.
  • Mix up your routine. Pay attention to patterns that take place near your home and switch up your daily route to work or school.
  • Stay alert and aware of your surroundings. Don’t talk or text on your phone when you’re in parking garages, dimly lit areas, or isolated places. Distractions like this reduce your awareness and make you more vulnerable.
  • Take a self-defense class. Many local organizations offer free or low-cost self-defense classes. Focus on learning and perfecting a few key moves that can help you protect yourself against an attacker.